36 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. [Sess. 
Les Prymnothonus de la Scotia sont done les seuls ponr lesquels on 
puisse parler de certitude dans la determination. 
Ils sont au nombre de trois, et de tailles diverses. Grace a eux, nous 
allons etre a meme de controler, de rectifier et de completer les observations 
du venerable Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker et de Richardson. 
Tel est l’objet de la presente Note. 
II. Le Prymnothonus de l’ “ Erebus ” et de la “ Terror.” 
La premiere mention du Prymnothonus Hookeri remonte a 1845, quand 
J. Richardson publia le dessin du jeune chirurgien de V Erebus, en lui 
dediant l’espece nouvelle. Cette figure etait accompagnee des commentaires 
suivants : * 
“The figure here introduced is copied from a pencil drawing (No. 217) 
by Dr Hooker, and we can give little more information than the sketch 
conveys, the notes made at the time by Dr Hooker having been mislaid. 
The specimen measured an inch and a quarter in length, but it has perished 
not having been found in the collection. It is evidently a Mursenoid fish, 
closely allied to the Congers, but is remarkable in that family for the 
shortness of the belly, the vent being only a fourth of the whole length 
distant from the snout. The gill-openings are lateral, but their position 
will be unusual, if the oblong white mark before and below them be meant 
to represent a pectoral fin. It seems to be placed too far forward for that 
member. The generic name is derived from the backward position of the 
dorsal, from i rpvjuva, puppis, and oOovrj, velum , i.e. mizen-sail. The caudal 
and part of the anal are marked as rayed, and a note subjoined to the draw- 
ing states that rays were not perceptible in other parts of the fins. It 
would be unwise to attempt drawing up a generic character without further 
information, but it appeared advisable to give the figure a name, for the 
sake of reference.” 
III. Les Prymnothonus du “Challenger.” 
La deuxieme fois qu’il fut question du genre Prymnothonus dans un 
travail original, ce fut en 1889, lorsque M. Gunther lui rapporta trois 
jeunes Poissons pelagiques de la memorable Expedition du Challenger 
(1873-1876). f 
Ces Poissons furent designes par les lettres A, B, D, — C etant attribue 
* J. Richardson, Fishes , etc., p. 51. 
t A. Gunther, Pelagic Fishes, etc., p. 39. 
